Nevertheless, they persisted
Hillary Clinton, escorted by Leonard Riggio, chairman of Barnes and Noble, arrives to sign copies of her book "What Happened" at a bookstore in Manhattan on Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2017. Credit: AP
Good afternoon and welcome to The Point!
Pencil Point
Dealmakers
Bonus Point
Jeter asks for a review of the play
If the NYC Democratic mayoral primary isn’t exciting enough for you, turn your attention to the Democratic primary race for City Council District 2, whose endgame is shaping up to be one of the strangest of the season.
On Monday, The Point noted candidate Ronnie Cho’s excited announcement of an endorsement from former Yankee shortstop Derek Jeter. Turns out Cho left the base a little early on that one: Jeter praised but apparently didn’t want to endorse Cho, a former Barack Obama staffer who has worked with Jeter’s Turn 2 Foundation mentoring young people. Cho sent out a revised news release.
Meanwhile, Carlina Rivera, another District 2 candidate, was pushing back against shots at her housing situation and some yachting pictures. Rivera, a former staffer to the district’s current council member, was the subject of a Page Six story about her residence in Section 8 housing. On Monday, the New York Post went further, revealing now-removed Facebook pictures showing Rivera’s husband yachting with her father-in-law. Her husband owns a small business and a nearby apartment.
Rivera spokesman Matt Rey calls it a “misogynistic baseless attack,” saying that Rivera and her husband qualify for Section 8 housing. Rivera has promised to move if she survives the race’s last-minute twists and turns, and nabs the six-figure council salary.
Mark Chiusano
Daily Point
Primary day lines for Clinton
At least some of Tuesday’s lines for politicians were long.
Not at NYC polling places, where early indications showed a relatively slow morning, confirming the expectation of political analysts. In 2013, for example, a far more competitive Democratic mayoral primary had 23.7 percent turnout. This year, it was mainly a sleepy Democratic primary for mayor and a few breakout City Council races.
But in the heart of Manhattan, Hillary Clinton supporters turned out big-time on Tuesday for her appearance at the Union Square Barnes & Noble, where she signed copies of “What Happened.”
Some of those in line since Monday night even got free pizza dropped off by a staffer of the former presidential candidate, who still knows how to work the line.
Mark Chiusano
She’s back
Here’s your trigger warning. For those who wish to relive the 2016 election cycle, with nearly two years of daily Hillary Clinton campaign speeches and sound bites, her audiobook released Tuesday will aid the memory.
Clinton narrates the book, a feat of endurance at 16 hours and 50 minutes. She sounds weathered, wry and rested — even as she describes the days after the November election when all she wanted to do was to “scream into a pillow.”
Perhaps it was the long walks in the Chappaqua woods with dogs Tally and Maisie that restored her energy. Or the bathtime rituals with her grandkids that she says she now delights in having time for.
“What Happened,” Clinton’s version of the election and the many villains and events that worked against her, was the top-selling book at Amazon.com Tuesday. Don’t expect her to embrace defeat, however. In the opening lines of her audiobook, she mentions the 65.8 million votes she received for president, noting that the count was more than any presidential candidate ever got, except for Barack Obama.
Anne Michaud
Talking Point
NYC and LI’s 4th Senate District
Residents of the 4th State Senate District have been getting a lot of calls lately inquiring about their political views.
That’s because the holder of the South Shore seat, Republican Phil Boyle, will take flight for greener pastures and a bigger paycheck if he wins the race for Suffolk County sheriff. He is being challenged for the GOP nomination in Tuesday’s primary.
And that one seat could make a big difference in the balance of power in Albany. If Boyle resigns midterm and a Democrat wins the seat, the GOP would lose its outright majority and have to share power with State Sen. Jeff Klein and his band of breakaway Democrats in the Independent Democratic Conference.
So, Republican, Democrats and the IDC have all conducted separate polls to test possible candidates and campaign themes. Here’s what we know: Democrat Phil Nolan, the former Islip Town supervisor and now head of Suffolk OTB, comes in as one of the strongest possible candidates.
Would Nolan, who has a contract with OTB until 2020 that pays him north of $160,000, really want to give that up to go to Albany for an annual salary that is half that amount? While he or any Democrat would most likely face Suffolk Legis. Tom Cilmi on the GOP line, their real opponent is Bill de Blasio.
The GOP, once again, is doubling down on its strategy to tie any Long Island Democrat to the NYC mayor to stoke the fear that the suburbs would be punished if the GOP doesn’t have a seat at the table with Albany’s power brokers. It’s worked so far: De Blasio, who is expected to coast to victory in Tuesday’s NYC mayoral primary, has an approval rating of roughly 29 percent, and disapproval of 69 percent, in the 4th SD.
Rita Ciolli
